Instrument mouthpiece



NOV. 2Q, 1946. J 5 MURANO 2,431,692

INS TRUMENT MOUTHPIECE Filed Nov. 27, 1943 l n n yg f Mai-Q04 Zinnentor (Ittorrleg Patented Nov. 26, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE INSTRUMENT MOUTHPIECE Joseph S. Murano, Youngstown, Ohio Application November 27, 1943, Serial No. 512,014

3 Claims. (01. 84-383) This invention relates to an instrument mouthpiece and more particularly to a mouthpiece for use on a clarinet or saxophone.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a mouthpiece for a clarinet or saxophone so designed as to permit the musician using the same to hold it in his mouth, between his teeth, while his mouth is in a normally open position.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a mouthpiece for a clarinet or saxophone or other instrument, the actual mouth engaging portions of which are so designed as to enable the musician using the same to obtain a better tone due to lack of tension of the musicians teeth and lips on the device.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a mouthpiece for a clarinet or saxophone or other instrument, the construction of which permits the reed used in connection therewith to vibrate freely resulting in a more vibrant tone and the easier obtaining of higher notes.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a mouthpiece for a clarinet or saxophone or other instrument, the lips and teeth engaging portions of which enable the reed to be used freely without danger of choking the same.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a mouthpiece for a clarinet or saxophone or other reed instrument, the interior channel of which is formed with a transversely flat shape to enable the passage of clearer tones from the reed and lay area of the mouthpiece to the instrument to which it is attached.

The invention herein disclosed resides in the design of mouth engaging portions of a more or less otherwise conventionally shaped mouthpiece for a clarinet, saxophone or other reed instrument, the design differing from the mouthpiece construction heretofore known in the art primarily in the formation of the lips and teeth engaging portions thereof on a smaller, thinner scale than has heretofore been believed possible in connection with reed instrument mouthpieces.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the mouthpiece, several lines appearing in connection therewith for the purpose of enabling the new design and formation of the mouthpiece to be seen.

Figure 2 is' a bottom elevation (with respect to Figure l) of a mouthpiece illustrating the lay portion thereof and the tone conveying channel therein.

Figure 3 is a top plan view (with respect to Figure l) of the mouthpiece illustrating the thin, tapering formation of the mouth engaging portions thereof.

By referring to the drawing and Figure 1 in particular, it will be seen that a mouthpiece for a reed instrument such as a clarinet or saxophone has been designed following a conventional pattern with the exception of the formation of the mouth engaging portions thereof. As is well known in the art, a conventional mouthpiece consists of the area known as the lay upon which the reed is fastened and which lay area is indicated in Figure 1 by the numeral Ill. The body portion I l of the mouthpiece is round and tapering in shape and is provided with an extension l2 of reduced diameter which enables the mouthpiece to be telescopically affixed to the particular instrument with which it is employed. A bushing l3 of resilient material such as cork is positioned in an annular channel formed in the extension l2 of the mouthpiece in order that a satisfactory joint between the mouthpiece and the instrument to which it is attached may be obtained.

In Figure 1 a dotted line A indicates the plane of the angular shape of a conventional mouthpiece and it will be observed that the mouthpiece of this invention has been altered considerably with respect thereto in that the angular formation of this portion takes the shape of a concave line indicated in Figure 1 by the numeral 14, which concave formation, as seen in the side elevation of Figure 1, is also transversely convex in cross section. This formation in conjunction with a standard shaping of the lay surface in of the mouthpiece results in a relatively long, thin mouth engaging portion of the device which may be easily held between the musicians teeth and lips without causing the unnatural, relatively wider opening of the mouth necessary when using a conventional mouthpiece. The difference is illustrated in Figure 1 wherein a broken line B positioned vertically in connection therewith illustrates the approximate bite position on a conventional and the improved mouthpiece, it being mouth to form the larger bite, indicated" bythe' letter C, the improved design shown in Figure 1 requires only the considerably smaller opening of the mouth establishing the bite indicated by the.

letter D. Additional dotted lines, thearea. between which is indicated by the lettenE, indicates a minimum bite with respect to: a soft reed" positioned on the lay area in of the mouthpiece and it will be observed that" the differencein the degree of bite necessary is equally pronounced.

The center line indicated by the letters CL has been added to indicate the approximate center line of the mouthpiece with respect. to the. instrument to which it is attac'hedand itwilllbe observed thatin a conventional instrument the bite includes the entire area below the center. line whereas in the present invention it is half or lessv allowing the reed to vibrate freely at all timeswith-the resultant easy blowing.

As the mouth engaging portions of the ime proved device is-eXtremely thin-and-tapering with respect to the conventional design, the musician:

has the choice of severalteeth positions on the mouthpiece all of. which approximatea normalclosed positioned of the mouth to which the-jaw. muscles are adapted, all of which enables=the musician to hold the same positiononthe mouthpiece over an indefinite period of time. without fatigue due-to an unusual position of the jaw muscles.

A further advantage of the construction is seen in the fact that the lipsare not required to seal the area about a large mouthpiece, as thethin tapering mouthpiece of the: invention is easily enclosed between the lips, al1of which result-sin the bigger, more vibrant and clearer tone; and"- at the same time avoids the possibility of. choking the reed which, with theimproved mouthpiece,

may be relatively soft as no undue tensionwill be.-

exerted thereon between-the teeth-even-after continued use. This construction enables the-reed to be kept in relaxed position which facilitates its delicate control by the musician, the: whole of which results in a substantial improvedper formanceof the instrument on which the mouthpiece is used.v

A further improvement in the design of the mouthpiece may be seen by referring to Figure 2 of the drawing, in which the mouthpiece body is indicated by the numeral I l, the lay area by the numeral I0 and the tone conveying channel formed therein by the numeral I5. In the mouthpiece of the invention the tone conveying chanel is formed with a transversely flat lower surface as seen in Figure 2 rather than the concave surface. heretofore common in the art. This construction facilitates the thin, tapering formation of the exterior surfaces of the device as indicated in Figure 3. In Figure 3 the normal teeth engaging line with respect to the upper surface of the mouthpiece is indicated by the letter F and it will be observed that the transverse shape of the mouthpiecei convex while the longitudinalshape thereof is concave thus creating a dished-out area generally indicated by the numeral l6 in Figure 3. The tone conveying channel? is curved to conform somewhat to th'e" curved outer shape. The curveditone channel issho'wn in dotted lines on Figure. 1; The edges of the mouthpiece, indicated by the numeral lljfa're tapered to further facilitatethe use of the mouth piece. It has been det'erminedthat the'lay'm'ay be of standard openshape or that; it may: be curved smaller with respect thereto as the considerably thinner mouthpiece engaging portions" of the device enable the minute adjustment of the reed with either lay formation;

Having. thus described my invention; what I claim is: y

1. A mouthpiece consisting ,ofja round'tapering portion, a hushed extension of smaller diameteron one end thereof, a lay .areaform'edon one side of the body and'the other or mouthengagingv end formedwith a dished-out surface concave in side elevation and convex in transverse crosssection terminating. in a fiat thin flatly taperingarea upon which. the musician teeth will nor-- mally be engaged.

2. A mouthpiece consisting, of a round tapering portion, a bushed extension of smaller diameter on one end thereof, a lay area formed. on one sideioi" the body 'andthe other or mouth engaging end'formed inan' axially 'extendingconcave shapeslightly convex in transverse and terminatingin a thin, flat, slightly tapered relatively wideiarea upon which the musici'ans te'eth'will' normally be engaged 3. A mouthpiece consisting of a roundltapering,- portion, a. b'ushed' extensionof smaller diameter on one en'dthereofi. a lay areaformedon one side ofthe bodyandfthe' other or mouth engaging. end formedlin' an axially extendingconcave shape slightly convex intransverseland. terminating. in a thin, vflat, slightly tapered, .relativelylarge area upon. which the 'musi'cians.'teethlwilLnormally be engaged, the said'thin, fiat,.sli'ghtlytapered, rem tively wide area. being. of an axiallength at least. equal to its width,

JOSEPI-I' SsMURANCiL 

